One serving of each fruit, vegetable, whole grains, meat/meat alternative, and dairy make a perfect meal for a preschooler.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—According to a study published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, parents are pretty clueless about creating healthy lunches for their kids. Researchers found that more than half of the lunches packed for child-care-bound children were lacking important nutrients.

THE DETAILS: As state regulations change, more and more child-care centers have stopped offering lunches, putting the task into the hands of parents. Researchers analyzed 3 consecutive days of home-packed lunches for 74 children (ages 3 to 5) enrolled in full-time child care in Texas. More than 70% received less than the daily-recommended amount of fiber for children, and more than 50% of the lunches were deficient in carbohydrates, vitamin A, calcium, iron, and zinc; typical sodium levels were sky-high at 114% of recommended levels.

WHAT IT MEANS: Packing a healthy meal for your child doesn’t have to be brain surgery, and it doesn’t have to take tons of time, either. But it’s important to introduce healthy food to your children when they’re young—it can lead to lifelong better eating.

“Food habits are established early in life, from age 3 to 5,” says study author Sara Sweitzer, RD, MEd, doctoral candidate of nutritional sciences at the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin. “This is a prime time to introduce a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.” And if you think your kid’s too picky to eat healthy food, you might be surprised, she adds. “Most children will accept and consume one or two fruits and vegetables, and are generally willing eat the same foods several times a week,” Sweitzer says.

Here’s how to make healthy lunch packing easy: